Ratchet- The Last Lombax
by Gashu-Monsata
Summary: What happened to Ratchet before he met Clank? How did he end up on Veldin? How did he meet Grimroth? What was he like as a kid growing up? This fanfic explores all of that, taking into account the new movie/PS4 game.
1. Prologue

_Author's note: This story assumes you are already familiar with the games and events from Tools of Destruction and onwards. This story also takes into account the new timeline created by the Ratchet and Clank PS4 remake, and so will involve characters such as Grimroth Raz. The story revolves around Ratchet's childhood and how he ended up on Veldin/under Grim's care._

 **Prologue**

 _ **Planet Fastoon- Clavisia City**_

 **I** t came as not much of a surprise really. When the enemy ships bore down upon the grand city of Clavisia, Kaden simply turned towards Alister Azimuth and sighed.

"I warned you this would happen".

Alister spared him neither a word nor glance; his expression stony and eyes fixed upon the city security monitors, which illuminated his face with an eerie blue glow that made his usually gaunt features look almost skull-like.

"Well, I'm sure your Guard can handle it", Kaden continued as he hoisted a backpack onto his shoulder. "Meanwhile… I'd better head back to the facility, my team need all the help they can get. Most of the new weapons are still in the prototype stage but I'm sure they can come in handy. Don't you have a squadron to prepare?".

Still no reply. Kaden sighed once again. Oh, how he missed those days when the two young Lombaxes' only concerns were secret adventures to distant planets and hoverboot races. Now they were older, their lives just seemed to be filled with stress, pressure and, on Alister's part at least, contempt for those new sprightly young recruits of the Clavisia Guard, who had their whole future ahead of them.

"I don't know why you're being so grim Al, it's nothing we can't handle. What's a couple of Cragmites to an entire army of Lombax soldiers?".

Finally, Kaden heard the faintest whisper of a reply.

"This is it… it's all over. It's all over…"

Kaden wanted to stay by his friend, but at that moment his communicator beeped, summoning him to the Weapon Development Facility. Kaden was head of Weapon and Gadget Development, and he always became sour at the thought that young Lombaxes these days just didn't want to become scientists and developers anymore. They all wanted to be the ones to use the weapons on the battlefield, and he strongly felt their genius inventing skills were wasted. As such, his team were continually understaffed and he was more often than not found in one of the 42 lab rooms at the facility, coming up with some crazy new idea.

"I have to go pal, I'm really sorry", he regretfully mumbled. "Please just… take it easy okay? This is something we can handle".

Kaden's last sight of his childhood best friend was of his back in the darkened room, hunched over the controls and shivering. Kaden was concerned, but there was no time for consolation… there was an invasion to prepare for.

* * *

 **T** he small Lombax was a clone of his father; in looks and in personality. He was barely one years old, but like most young Lombaxes, he was already very developed. He fancied himself an arena contestant, just like his father was in the old holo-photos around the house. He had been sitting in the window, playing with a dismantled Cryomine

Glove and pretending to shoot the pesky flies that kept swarming around the room and he was so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed the approaching ships in the sky. His mother had however, and so he protested greatly when she scooped him up in her arms and swiftly moved into the bunker in the garden at the back of the house.

She stood at the door of the bunker for the next few hours, peering out of the spyhole with a steely cold glare and a large weapon the little Lombax had never seen before.

For the first time in his one year of existence, he felt extreme fear. He had never seen his usually passive and peace-loving mother look so terrified and angry and it deeply unsettled him, as did the loud explosions he could hear outside. No amount of toys in the bunker could distract him from the shaking and rocking of the walls every time a missile stuck close by.

"Mama?"

The mother hushed him without a glance in his direction. With surmounting fear, the little Lombax persisted.

"MAMA!"

The mother finally span around and hurried towards the child, who was sitting alone on the fluffy Fastoonian Yellow Sandbelly rug laid out on cold steel floor. She dropped the gun to the ground beside her and held him close.

"It's okay… it's okay, mama's here".

There was a sudden loud bang at the door, and the older Lombax's soothing demeanour suddenly turned steely once again. Her body and expression hardened and she moved the child behind her, snatching the weapon from the ground and pointing it at the door.

There was another loud bang and the child squeaked in fear, and then suddenly a large hole was blasted into the side of the shelter, through which his father flung himself. He glanced around wildly for a second, his gun still smoking from the blast and then his eyes settled on his small family.

"Kaden!"

"Carlayla!"

The two adults embraced briefly, and then Carlayla pulled back.

"Kaden… what's happened to you? You're bruised and battered! And why couldn't you use the door like a normal Lombax?"

She raised a hand to his dirty and matted face, and Kaden winced and moved away from her touch.

"It's fine", he said, shaking his head.

He scooped up his son, and made his way back towards the hole through which he had entered. He suddenly paused and placed a hand on the twisted steel to steady himself as a sudden wave of nausea hit him.

"Kaden-?"

"No time Carlayla… they are after us. Alister, he's been placed into exile, they think he sold us out…"

"Kaden, slow down! Sold us out? What do you mean? And exile from where? And where's Lorna, is she safe? I haven't been able to get hold of her since the invasion began."

A ship flew low overhead, close enough to rattle the panels in the bunker. Kaden gripped his son tighter, shrinking back from the hole in the shelter slightly. When it had passed, Kaden spoke in a lower hushed voice.

"The Council has ordered that we evacuate the planet immediately. This invasion is much worse than we imagined, Carlayla. We've already lost most of the downtown district-"

He noticed his wife's expression suddenly turn to one of panic.

"But I'm sure Lorna is safe, I made sure some of the Guard went to downtown district to find survivors but they're trapped down there sadly. We can't get them to the Court to send them through the Dimensionator… South Bridge has collapsed".

"Do they need medical assistance?"

Carlayla was a doctor, and one of the best in her field. Kaden didn't doubt that she would have been a great help, but at that moment, a selfish urge overtook him.

"No… they are covered", he mumbled.

He knew this was the wrong thing to say as Carlayla strongly believed that the life of many far outweighed the life of one, but he was already struggling with the loss of some of his closest friends and he wasn't too sure if he was strong enough to withstand losing his wife too.

"Alister has been found guilty of sharing Lombax technology with the Cragmite, Percival Tachyon", he said, quickly changing subject.

"That smart guy that Al became friends with?"

Carlaya couldn't help but notice the slight change in Kaden's expression. He suddenly looked a little sour, and she knew it was a touchy subject for him as Alister and Kaden were childhood best friends. When that Cragmite came between them, Kaden always had a streak of jealousy that still burned to this day.

"Yep, the very same", Kaden replied, regaining his composure. "He's somehow found a way to bring back all of the Cragmites from the other dimension, and now… well, this invasion. We can't fight them back, Carlayla. They have our technology, but improved by tenfold".

"And where are you taking our son?"

Kaden glanced down at the little Lombax, who had buried his face into the fabric of Kaden's torn armour.

"I'm going to get him to the Dimensionator. Carlayla, I need you to stay here and gather all the medical equipment you can take, we will need to treat a lot of sick and wounded on the other side".

Kaden moved away from the hole in the wall, and briefly kissed his partner.

"I'll be back for you, I promise. I can't take both of you and defend you both. It's safer this way".

Kaden pulled back and admired his wife for a brief moment. Her light fur shone brightly in the dim flickering light of the shelter.

'Her fur shines as bright as her fiery compassion to help others', he thought to himself.

Carlayla nodded and watched as her husband carried their son away from her, picking through their once beautiful and elaborate garden. Now it was mostly ruins, and she couldn't help but feel like it was an omen of the dark times to come…

* * *

 _'Damn!'_

Kaden hadn't made it to the Court of Azimuth. He was crouched under a large fallen metal beam that had once been attached to a large bank, holding his son close and hoping he wouldn't make a sound. Not only was the North Bridge also out, but the area was swarming with Cragmite mercenaries, and he could clearly see the influences of Lombax technology in their armour and weaponry. Their armour was reinforced with Harmonic Plating, something that could only be forged using the specific type of Raritanium only found in the mines of Fastoon.

Had he not been carrying his son, he would not have thought twice about revealing himself and mowing them all down, but he couldn't risk it. All he could do was backtrack down the street and make his way to the shuttlecraft center.

He shuffled backwards, keeping low and to the shadows. The baby Lombax seemed to understand the gravity of the situation for he made no sound; something for which Kaden was very grateful.

As soon as they were out of sight from the Cragmites, he moved at a faster pace and nimbly raced through the trashed street towards the small shuttlecraft center. This was usually used to deliver post across the galaxy, but Kaden suspected he could also most likely fit a small child in one of these crafts…

As he approached the entrance, he saw that the entrance had caved in but somehow, a path had already been blasted through the debris. Someone else has been here before him, and this caused him slight anxiety. Kaden was a reckless fighter, but he was helpless whilst carrying his son. Nevertheless, he withdrew his wrench and proceeded into the shadowy entrance.

"Alright kiddo" he whispered, clutching the child close to him, "it's gonna be fine. Daddy's here to keep you safe, you hear?"

He crept through the main lobby, dust rising around his feet. It was dark, but Kaden didn't dare risk activating his in-armour torch.

 _'Besides, nothing guarantees that it still works'_ , he thought to himself,

A little further into the lobby, there was a short flight of stairs which led down into the mail sorting room. Letters and crates were strewn everywhere, and he carefully stepped over them, treading further into the building. The building wasn't large as it was only a facility for small postage items, so it wasn't long before he reached the shuttle room. The power was out here too, but that didn't matter as each shuttle operated on a solar charge.

Kaden walked past each of the shuttles, squinting in the darkness to read the labels above each section.

"Short distance… long distance… other star systems… live cargo… got ya".

Each shuttle came in different categories depending on where the sender wanted to send their post. The longer trips required slightly more powerful, and as such, slightly larger craft, and this was perfect for Kaden. The shuttles that required transport to different galaxies involved teleportation, which cut the trip time greatly.

"Hey bud", he said softly, holding the child out in front of him. "This isn't going to be a particularly pleasant trip. This is the last thing I want to do you know. Carlayla willhate me for sure… but I can't get you to the Dimensionator, this is the only way I can keep you safe. But I promise, I will come back for you".

The child simply cooed at him.

"Yeah, you don't get it, it's fine. That's probably for the best-"

"Finally going mad huh?"

Kaden span around suddenly, his heart in his chest. In the shadows, he could just make out another Lombax form standing a couple of meters away from him. The form stepped closer, and he could just make out who it was.

"Lorna!"

Lorna moved towards Kaden and crouched down next to him, He could now see that she also was carrying a small child.

"Is this Angela?" Kaden asked, leaning in to peer at the sleeping Lombax girl.

"Sure is", Lorna whispered back. "Looks like we both had the same idea… I managed to get out of Downtown without being spotted, but the Cragmites have swarmed the only entrance to the Council District and I can't risk taking her to the Dimensionator".

"Same problem here".

Lorna glanced the shuttle next to Kaden's.

"The only other solution I could think of is sending her to some friends of mine in the Bogon Galaxy, but the main shuttleport is out of action".

Kaden nodded. "Yeah, I had the same thought. I know a few people in Solana who can take care of him, a sweet couple on Kalebo III. Remarkable engineers, they work for Gadgetron. Once this mess is over, I can go and pick him up again".

"It's for the best", Lorna agreed. "We should leave letters in the shuttlepods though, I haven't had time to-"

Suddenly, a loud crash could be heard from the main lobby and Lorna stopped speaking, her eyes widening in panic.

 _"Cragmites!"_ Kaden mouthed.

He motioned towards the shuttlepods and Lorna understood. They had to get the children out of here as quickly as possible, before the Cragmites came down here and found them. Kaden placed his son into the pod, and the child picked that unfortunate moment to cry out loud. Kaden, his heart in this throat, hastily hushed the boy as he heard screeches from the lobby. There was no way they hadn't heard that, and they were making their way down.

"We have to do this now", Lorna whispered.

Kaden nodded, and pressed a button on the control panel. The top of the shuttle closed down, sealing the child behind a glass dome. Kaden placed a hand on the cold glass, and a tear trickled down his cheek.

 _'Why am I crying?'_ he wondered, _'I'll see him again, it won't be long'._

An elbow nudged into his side, and he saw Lorna motioning towards the launch button. She had already inputted her co-ordinates, and the words MRS. AGNES NOODLEBOTTOM, YEEDIL, BOGON were flashing on the screen. Kaden snapped out of his thoughts, and inputted his coordinates onto the screen.

MR WENDEL AND MRS CYNTHIA LUMOS, KALEBO III, SOLANA.

With a deep breath, and one last look at their beloved children, they simultaneously pressed the launch buttons, and the teleporter lit up and took them away… but not before Kaden caught the deeply hurt look in his son's eyes, right before the "live cargo" gas knocked him out cold.

That memory of the pain in his son's eyes would live with Kaden, right up until that last moment when he would draw his final breath on the battlefield with Percival Tachyon. And the final thought that crossed his mind?

 _'I couldn't keep my promise. I can never come back for you..."_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Wild Ride

 _Planet Veldin, just outside Kyzil Plateau..._

 **A** ll was peaceful and quiet on the sands of Veldin. The midday sun scorched the golden sands, and among the dry plants and rocks, a group of Horny Toads could be spotted basking in the heat.

One large Horny Toad became aware of a low humming coming from far away. It lazily opened an eye and scanned the landscape, unsure of the direction of which the hum was coming from but all it could see was rocks, sand and large metallic structures that were most certainly not natural formations.

The toad croaked indignantly and shuffled on it's rock, settling down once again to enjoy the sun but the hum persisted… in fact, it was getting louder! The other toads were also aware of the noise by this point, and they all began to croak in irritation.

Eventually, the large toad opened both eyes and snapped at the other toads, and they all fell silent, listening out for this strange hum. It was much closer now, and the large toad was getting extremely uneasy. In its small brain, it made the surprisingly smart decision that the group had better move. Whatever this noise was, it was getting far too close for comfort.

The group began to hop towards a large rock structure that would offer them more shelter than the small flat rocks in the middle of the sands, and just as a they did-

 _ZOOOOOOOM._

The slipstream from the passing hoverbike blew the toads off their course, but they were out of harm's way.

" _SORRYYYY!"_ the young driver called back before returning his attention to the terrain ahead.

The large toad angrily croaked and turned to make his way towards the rocks, but not before another vehicle sped past, blowing him back once again.

"Halt the vehicle! You are under arrest!"

The amplified robotic voice and the accompanying sirens rang clear across the desert, but the young driver chose to ignore the warning. He kicked down on the pedal in an attempt to squeeze more juice out of the vehicle, and leaned forward. His oversized goggles protected his vision from the swirling dust, but his furry arms were still out in the open, and he gritted his teeth against the sand lashing against him. A long, tattered scarf trailed behind him, whipping in the wind.

A light flashed on his dashboard, and the rider flicked a switch. A hologram flickered into existence; a large alien with a broken tusk and long ears.

"Ratchet!" the figure exclaimed. "What in the blazing sands do you think you are doing?"

"Oh hey, Grim!"

Ratchet swerved his vehicle, narrowly avoiding a rock jutting out of the sand.

"The authorities contacted me, why are you not in school? And is that… sirens?"

Ratchet chuckled.

"No no, this is a stage play rehearsal! I haven't told you about it yet, I wanted it to be a surprise!"

Grimroth frowned and slapped a large hand to his forehead.

"Ratchet, you can't keep doing this. Why do you keep skipping school, you're ten years old and this is an important time in your life- hey, are you even listening to me?"

Ratchet was not listening. The sirens were drawing closer, and he got an unpleasant niggling feeling as he suddenly noticed he was riding through a tunnel of rock that was getting narrower and narrower.

"Can't talk now Grim, I'll catch ya later. This play is getting intense!"

"Ratchet-!"

Ratchet cut off the communications channel and focused his gaze ahead. He was riding through a steadily narrowing tunnel, and his pursuers were still hot on his tail.

' _Perhaps stealing this hover bike was a bad idea after all',_ he thought to himself. ' _Dammit! Should've ran for it instead!'_

He chanced a quick glance over his shoulder to see that they were drawing closer. There were two robots in a battered and dusty hover car that was wider than Ratchet's bike, and Ratchet breathed a sigh of relief. No one knew the area better than the Veldinian Patrol Bots, and Ratchet knew they wouldn't have come down this tunnel if the space was going to end up too narrow for them. They were programmed with an intricate map of the area they were sent to patrol, although…

"Crud!"

Ratchet had turned his head to focus in front of him, and was temporarily blinded by the bright light as his hover bike shot out into the open. As his vision cleared, he blinked a couple of times and tried to hold his bike steady, but it wasn't until that moment when he realised the error in his previous judgement.

The Veldinian Patrol Bots were indeed programmed with intricate maps of the area, however they hadn't been updated in a very long time. Life on Veldin was slow and plodding, and minor issues such as updating the patrol bots on small outposts like Kyzil Plateau were deemed as an unnecessary expense to the Veldinian Government.

Veldin was also a planet that was rocked by frequent earthquakes that could split the ground apart and create giant chasms.

It was one of these great chasms that Ratchet was now fast approaching, and there was no time to brake. Ratchet panicked, fully aware that these chasms led down towards a burning death in a fiery pool of lava. Knowing he was not able to break, he lifted his feet up onto the seat, and shakily balanced on top. Still gripping the handles with one hand, he turned around to face backwards where he could see the patrol bots just exiting the rock formation. One quick glance towards the front of the bike, and he saw the chasm racing up to meet him.

This was it, it was now or never.

He leapt with all his might, just as the bike toppled over the edge of the chasm. He remained suspended in the air for what felt like an eternity, he didn't think he was going to make it… but then suddenly, his body smashed into solid rock, and he raised his arms to protect his face as his mouth filled with thick desert sand.

Ratchet lay like that for a couple of seconds; face down, heart pounding in his chest and adrenaline burning through his veins. Never, in all of his reckless ten years of existence, had he ever come so close to death. It was terrifying. It was exhilarating. It was… amazing.

"You are under arrest!"

Cold metal hands hoisted Ratchet up by his arms, and he was carried to the Patrol vehicle. He didn't resist, he was weak from moments before and all of his energy appeared to have been drained.

"Vehicle theft, underage driving, speeding, recklessness and a danger to local wildlife… there are many violations here", one of the bots was saying. Ratchet was stuck between the two; one was driving and the other was demanding information from him. "What is your address? Who is your guardian?"

Ratchet gave them his name and address, but the rest of the bot's speech became a blur. Ratchet was exhausted, and he promptly fell asleep as they raced back through the desert, towards Kyzil Plateau.

* * *

" **H** ow could you do this to me, boy?"

It was evening, and the cool desert air made Ratchet shiver slightly as he and Grimroth walked up the track from the small prison center. Kyzil Plateau didn't have many residents and crime rates were never high, so the prison cell was more of a metal shack that sat under a large rock. The two bots had taken him to the cells, and he had woken up on a cold hard floor. Ratchet and the bots where the only people in the building, and they refused to talk to him so he had spent a couple of hours alone until Grimroth was able to finish his work at the garage and come over. Grim had spent a good hour trying to let the bots set Ratchet free, until they eventually agreed on a fair price to pay. A year's worth of free servicing for the patrol vehicle at Grim's garage… something which Grim wasn't entirely happy about.

"I'm sorry, Grim".

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Ratchet! Those two bots were my highest paying customers, and now I've had to agree to service them for free for an entire year! Do you realise how much we lose out with this deal? All to save your furry butt!" Grim jabbed Ratchet in the side of the head.

Ratchet sighed and remained silent.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Ratchet?"

Ratchet still didn't reply. Grimroth stopped, placed his hand on Ratchet's shoulder and span him around to face him. Crouching down to meet the child's eye level, Grim tried his best to look calm and caring.

"What's happening at school? Are you not happy there? You run off nearly all the time now, and uh… I admit I'm a bit slow on the upkeep but… I get the feeling something is up".

Ratchet didn't meet Grimroth's gaze, but he decided to reply. As reckless as he was, he also was aware of the pain his actions was inflicting on Grim, he he hated to be the cause of that.

"I… I don't get on with the other kids".

Grimroth's eyebrows raised.

"Oh?"

Ratchet paused for a second.

"They always call me names because… because I look different. Because they've never seen anything that looks like me before. And they bully me because I find the classes too easy. So I guess I just… I feel like I don't have to try hard, and that I need to act like their bullying doesn't affect me".

"But it does".

Ratchet finally met Grimroth's gaze, which had softened without him even trying. The little boy nodded slowly, and his eyes began to well up with tears. Grimroth straightened up, and gruffly pulled Ratchet into an awkward embrace, patting the top of his head, perhaps a bit too hard.

"You're far too smart for that school boy, you know that right?"

Ratchet sniffed.

"Why am I different? Why was I born this way? Why am I the only one that looks the way I do?"

Grim, his eyes fixed up towards the stars, sighed deeply.

"My boy… I think it's time I gave you the truth. The full truth."

Ratchet pulled back to look at Grim, who still remained staring at the stars.

"The truth? What do you mean? Grim?"

Grim finally looked down towards the child.

' _You've grown so much already, but you're still so young',_ he thought. ' _How can I tell you the truth of your origins when I barely know the facts myself? How will you cope with only half the story?'_

Grim smiled and scooped the boy up into his arms.

"Let's get you home first, ya fuzball. You stink, and I haven't eaten yet. Can't tell a story on an empty stomach".

The two began to plod their way home, but curiosity still burned the child's brain.

' _The truth? What does he mean? The truth about what?'_


End file.
